The governments' favorite way to dump employees.
Make sure it is for a large period of time - more than 3 months - make sure they will continue to pay into whatever benifits you have (pension plan, health coverage, etc.) during that time, make sure whatever vacation you have left is an extra payment not included in the VSP, and factor in the likelyhood you would be canned anyway.
Check on how easy it would be to continue your health coverage, 401k, or whatever if you do decide to take the package.
Good luck.

Michigan workers have been going through the "downsizing bull$!**" for a number of years and have put up with the "moving south tactic" also. Gets kind of scary when the great southern work environment starts getting clobbered.

Sorry to hear about that Revdodd, will be thinking about you and hoping things will work out for you. I got layed off from
my factory here in Michigan June 1st with over 20 years seniority and don't know if I'll be called back.

Oh crap, what a drag, Rev. Here's a hug My hubby lost his job after 33+ years with not even a thank-you, so I guess you have to be grateful for small mercies. WE need a revolution in North America, both North & South of the 49th Parallel. How many hard working, long serving workers are we going to let lose their jobs & have their lives ruined in pursuit of the almighty buck.

Rev, back in the early eighties a local company (Kewaunee) moved it's operations to Statesville NC. Another company moved to Tennessee, and went belly-up there. The company I am retired from, (Brazeway Inc.), is moving next March. That's not exactly Guatemala but holy crap!, don't give the bastards any ideas. Michigan can blame it's woes, in a large part, to a legislature in Lansing who continuously shoots itself in the foot by making it difficult to do business in the state, led by a gutless do-nothing governor who, after six years in office still blames her Republican predecessor. Good luck in NC!

I disagree that it is difficult to do business in Michigan. Michigan is losing jobs not because the laws here are restrictive for businesses, but because it is less expensive -- largely in labor costs -- to do business elsewhere. Initially, jobs flowed to the old confederacy, as the southern states have cheaper labor and less protections for workers, the environment, etc. The old South prides itself on "right to work laws" and opposition to unions, when more unionization would undoubtedly improve conditions for the working and middle classes. Now, the old South is getting its comeuppance, as the jobs move to lower wage nations with even more appalling environmental records and no labor protections. I have little sympathy for those who were so willing to take the jobs of citizens in the north because business is now moving these jobs out of the South and to third-world countries. This is the logical extension of the corporate mentality. The purpose of a corporation is to make maximum profits for shareholders. International capital now rules the globe. A vote for McCain is a vote to perpetuate the iron grip of corporate capitalism on the 99% of the world's population who is not part of the corporate elite.

And a vote for Obama is a vote to perpetuate the high tax, anti business, screw capitalism, ideals of the left. What the hell ever happened to the middle? Neither candidate is qualified to lead anything. Obama is a born liar and McCain is NOT a leader. Oh yeah, and with Obama we get Michelle,,,,,Yikes!

It is absurd to suggest that Obama does not support capitalism. I don't think you're making $250,000 a year, so you won't see your taxes increase. As I have noted before, since the Reagan administration the gap in income and wealth between the top 5% of the population and the remainder has accelerated dramatically. The wealth structure is now comparable to the Depression Era. I have issues with Obama, and may or may not vote for him, but I would NEVER vote for McCain. His foreign policy would seemingly be even more bellicose than that of Bush. Something's wrong with the distribution of wealth in the country when a presidential candidate claims he doesn't know how many houses he owns -- and something is wrong with working class citizens who would support him.

Before you go home Friday night, tell your supervisor that you are going to be late for work Monday morning. When they ask you why you're going to be late, tell them you have to go to the local pistol range for some target practice.

Don't mean to bust in on Revdodd's thread, but here I go anyway. I gave my notice yesterday at my newspaper. No, I didn't get any voluntary separation package or promise of anything, only to be fired if I didn't get "a better attitude." Excuse me, after more than 20 years of devoting my LIFE to this company, I am supposed to swallow the line that taking away my title of news editor and cutting my pay and making me an agriculture REPORTER is an "exciting new challenge" and I should have a great attitude about it? Oh, and by the way, now sitting at my desk is a 25-year-old woman. I may be nearly 70 but my mind works like someone in their 50s. If the editor would have gotten out of my way I could have continued doing my job and doing it well.

I have been threatened (that I would be fired), I have been shunned by the editor and publisher, and carried the work load while the editor golfed with his buddy the publisher ... and that's just the fun part.

I finally decided life was too short to put up with their crap any more so I gave my 2 week's notice. I'm taking this week off to use up some more of my vacation time.

When I handed my resignation to the publisher he looked at it and said, "oh." That's it. Oh. The editor was out all afternoon so I put my resignation on his chair. When he returned to the building, he stayed in his office. He never spoke to me, never acknowledged he had seen it. He was sure to not come near me. Doesn't look like anyone with a clear conscience to me.

Unfortunately, Nebraska is a state that is favorable to employers, not employees. I have been to a law firm and visited with 2 attorneys, one specializes in labor law. I might have an age discrimination lawsuit (might is the keyword).

At this point, I would be pleased with a VSP, but I am a lot older than Revdodd and I'm already on Social Security and I have Medicare available to me. I think he still has a child in high school. That makes a lot of difference in the situation.

The good news is someone has come forward and asked to design my Web site for my obituary business, (for FREE) and this way I'll have time to devote to it promoting the business. Hopefully I'll make enough from it so I can supplement my SS and work from home. Then I can play Sploofus whenever I want!

Anyway, onward and upward. Good luck Revdodd. I hope things work out well for you.You're a talented and cool guy and you deserve something good to come from this.

And I don't mind the threadjack. As long as folks are speaking from their heart and can agree to disagree over a beer afterward, it's all good.

On a related note, two people I've known for a while suggested I look into lateral entry as an English of Civics teacher. Anyone know anything about that? I'll be researching it this evening, before everyone else at work hears about it.

Good luck to you Rev and to Salzypat! Career change after layoff can turn out to be a really good thing. The lowered stress counts for something, and if you can find something you're interested in, it could recharge your professional batteries. All the best.

Oh Rev, that is sad news. Hope things look up for you real soon. And Salzypat too.

I can just tell you that my husband was laid off the day our daughter was born - turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though we sure didn't feel that way at the time! Good things came of it, and I hope good things will come your way too.

esusbejesus/1mks: Dismissing the messenger is not a refutation of the argument I advance. People in the states should be angry about how disposable they have become and to know that when such disposition is made -- your former employer offers you nothing and the government provides no protection. There is a connection between the political and the personal, and my fellow citizens should reflect on this. Rev, maybe you can get one of the many new burger flipping jobs that were created during the Bush years. Things will be worse in a McCain administration. In fact, it's reasonably possible that the globe would not survive a McCain presidency; he is very quick to endorse military solutions and very hot-headed.

The "inexperience" charge against Obama mostly amuses me. I suspect a lot of people who voted for the young Bush are now levelling that charge. I would trust my 23-year old son's judgment on foreign policy matters any day over McCain's. My son, incidentally, is also currently a victim of the economy in Michigan so he does have time to read and study foreign policy issues.

Revdodd and Salzypat, I'm so very sorry to hear of your dilemmas! As many have also wished, I certainly hope that it's a blessing in disguise for both of you. Postive thoughts and prayers going your ways.

Condolences to Revdodd and Salzypat on their misfortune of living in this messed up world we now have! Salzypat,as you said, at least you have social security, etc. to count on (for what it's worth - not much to me!) I retired 5 years ago and am having trouble making ends meet with both SS and a state pension! Good thing for part-time jobs!
I wish the both of you good luck in improving your personal situations! Good luck!